"We never like to see players leave the program, however, Evan, Colton and Carlton have made the decision to transfer and continue their careers elsewhere," said Beilein. "All three are fine young men with bright futures. We wish them and their families nothing but success going forward."

This sucks. Yeah none would likely be starters next year but there goes any depth.

Not to negate their value, but is there any late 2012 recruit worth grabbing that we have a shot at?

"Michigan man or woman. To me, it's a great love for the University of Michigan. There's a selflessness there. It's what can you do for the University of Michigan, not what the Universtiy of Michigan can do for you." JH

Michigan will still have depth with incoming freshmen SG/PG Stauskas, PF Hornford, SG/SF Vogrich, PF/C Bielfedt and C/PF McLimans...plus Michigan is still in the run for PG/SG Amedeo Della Valle who is a 3* recruit and Scout has hi as the #26 SG in the country. The roation will go 8 to 9 deep in 2012-2013 season. The cup board is not empty.

“It’s just a matter of what I thought was the right fit, something my family agreed on,” Smotrycz said. “I don’t want to say too much right now in being sensitive to the coaching staff. But it was a decision I had to make to be somewhere I was happy.”

Guess those students with the lobster get-ups better find themselves some new seafood to support.

"Michigan man or woman. To me, it's a great love for the University of Michigan. There's a selflessness there. It's what can you do for the University of Michigan, not what the Universtiy of Michigan can do for you." JH

You've got your homer goggles on. The criticism is just as bad here as at a lot of other schools. 99% is pushing it. You must not have been in a game liveblog recently for football or bball.

And if the fans were taking to twitter to bash him I don't blame him for getting annoyed and hurt. It's one thing to criticize a guy on a blog, it's another thing entirely to harass him on his personal social media page. I know I know, public access rabblerabblerabble. Get some class guys sitting on your couch talking down college athletes. I'll never believe this is within the rights of fans. It may be the norm, but that doesn't mean it should be.

"Michigan Defense" is dominating everything, in every aspect of life. That's a rough definition.

but my point is simply that this type of criticism happens at all schools (especially in major conferences) and if this were his problem, then going someplace else will not lessen it (I guess he could go to a smaller D2 school that doesn't follow sports that much?).

Hell, look at the Yale QB who turned down the Rhodes Scholarship to play in a game against Harvard. Even the Ivies take their sports seriously.

I think that the comments by idiot fans did not help but if you watched Smotrycz' body language and his level of play from about Jan. 1st on, something was not right. Sure he had a few solid games. However, overall, I kept asking what was wrong with him and Hardaway, Jr. for almost the entire Big 10 season. I think his mind was probably made up a few months ago.

Have you seen fraternity guys at football games? Do you remember people going to twitter to tell Morris what a mistake he was making? Social media is great but there are so many negatives since everyone seems to think their opinion matters so much or that they are right. But I am posting on an internet blog....

As of right now? Eso Akunne, and possibly even Nick Stauskas. However, Beilein is hot on the trail of 2012 PG/SG Amedeo Della Valle of renowned Findlay Prep(NV) and he could be the backup PG if he signs up and pans out.

Not sure why this stings you. Nine times out of ten, players transfer because they're not gonna make the regular rotation. Probably these three saw the writing on the wall. In which case, transfers are good for both the players and the program.

Yeah with Horford coming back from injury with hopefully another summer of big improvement, and McGary coming in, the Smot loss shouldn't actually hurt us as long as Beilein can adapt his gameplan away from the 3 ball and more towards the pick and roll (which I know he can and which I wouldn't mind seeing anyway). The point guard depth is another story. Aren't there some foreign players we're looking at for just such a situation as this?

"Michigan Defense" is dominating everything, in every aspect of life. That's a rough definition.

I guess Christian and Brundidge don't suprise me... that much. Christian most likely would've never seen the court again, but Brundidge should've been competing for playing time next year. Smotrycz is baffling though, he would most likely be playing some major minutes next year at his normal position.

We lose our only viable PG backup (Akunne isn't really a good option), although Brundridge would have needed to develop a bit (case in point Morris). We lose a starter at the PF spot and a dynamic threat to our offense (can shoot a 3 point and drive-a bit). If Mitch is a one and done then we start really losing some depth at the forward spot, especially if Beidfelt does not pan out. Christian is not as significant. Although we can like the open recruiting spots, this could really burn us.

Really hate losing Smote. I think he is going to be a great player next year. CB and Colton don't surprise me at all, and their departure opens the door for a much needed backup PG and higher rated guys we are still on. But losing Smote really hurts.

I thought you were trolling with Smotz in the mix but seriously, this is extremely unexpected. I don't kno how our lineup will look next year now. I'm sad to see Smotrycz go because he had all the talent and intangibles but lacked a strong mental game to put it together. He could, or could, have been special.

Anybody why this happened like it did? All three hitting at the same time seems like more than just a wacky coincidence to me. Especially with Evan...there HAS to be more to the story than he just wants out.

You hate to see a kid like Smotrycz leave, I know the fans are higher on other players, but Evan is a system player, he fits Bielien's system perfectly and was going to be a bigger factor in years to come. Sure you want to get more athletic, but you also want guys that fit your system like Evan did. Brundridge could have developed into a solid backup PG by next year and Christian was going to be nothing more than a role player at best.

Christian was no surprise at all. Brundidge only slightly less, but this probably says a lot about how far he was from significant PT, but I really don't get the Smotrycz thing. Although he might not have started next year, he'd be the only real 4 we have on the team, and would likely get a good amount of PT at that spot, especially since he plays a different style than McGary, and one more Beilein friendly, in fact.

I was seriously expecting (I guess hoping) this to be a bad joke and the OP to be negged to Bolivia. There goes the huge depth for next year. Front court will probably be fine between Morgan, McGary, Horford, and Bielfeldt. But none of them are able to step back a hit a long 2 or a 3, which Beilein loves in his offense to spread the court. I would not be surprised to see GR3 play a decent amount of 4 and Stauskas/Vogrich/THJr splitting the 2/3 to spread the court more. Also now there is nothing after Burke. I wouldn't be surprised to see Beilein try to pick up a decent PG in the 2012 class just to have for depth, even though it would not be the best use of a scholarship.

Colton isn't suprising, him leaving doesn't really hurt. Burndridge hurts our depth at PG some, but he wasn't going to get too many minutes regardles, so I'm not too worried.

Smot is obviously the biggest one here, but I'm not nearly as asuprised as many people here are. I told my dad during the B1G tourney I thought this might happen. He was supposed to make a big leap production wise this year that never happened. He probably felt a ton of pressure, and despite his big shot vs Minnesota and big game in the tourney, he still took a lot of heat from us as fans and even though he kept us in the game against Ohio, he did make a costly turnover that caused many people to mlame him for the loss.

And looking at the dpeht chart for next year, it's not surprising to see him go. He probably sees a huge blockade in front of him for playing time. Instead of just competing with Morgan and Novak for playing time this past year, next year he'd have to compete with Morgan, Horford, McGary, Robinson, and Bielfeldt. That's 5 guys for 2/3 spots instead of 2 for 1/2. And all 5 guys are very talented.

People are saying we are short on depth next year. We are actually much deeper next year than this year, especially with our bigs. In terms of hurting our immediate depth for next year, Brundridge hurts more depth wise, but Smot is obviously the bigger overall lose because of the thought that he would be a starter.

Good luck to all 3 wherever they go.

Practice makes perfect. Unless you're the Buckeyes. Then you have to cheat.

I made the mistake of looking at the comments on the Michigan Baketball facebook page... Never again. They're all trashing on Smotrycz about how he's soft and how they're glad he's transferring after he cost Michigan the OHIO game.

One guy was even ranting about how terrible Beilein is. Gosh I want to punch those douchebags in face. They are pathetic excuses for Michigan "fans."

Yeah anyone blaming Evan on that loss is clueless. We lost that game much earlier with missed layups and bunnies and an Ohio team playing out of its mind. Not Evans fault. I was pissed at him initially for that crossover, but once I took a breath I was reminded it's not on him.

I highly doubt that they all were like, "Oh gosh, it suddenly seems like a good idea to transfer" at the same time, so saying they all are transferring on the same day is misleading. I'd guess they each came to Beilein at some point in the last couple of weeks and the staff decided to make it public all at the same time for any number of reasons.

game, but I am more siked about the offseason developments with Horford and McLimans. Mc can hit the three and horford puts on another ten to fifteen and he is gonna be a force down low. his injury had to be closely related to his bigtime added weight last offseason. If you put Mc in the weight room for another 10-15 like Horford coupled with McGary and Morgan and our biggest weakness becomes a strength. Couple that with Trey, THJ, Vogrich, GRIII, and Stauskas (who should see the floor...watch video if u dont believe) and you have a Big Ten Champion caliber team who should be better than this years squad. I cant wait. FWIW though, I hope all the best for Smotz, he will surely be missed.

I know losing Smots will hurt as he was going to get more time next year. But I always felt with Evan that he could have offered so much more. Its something that always bugged me. At times he looked lost, out of position, etc. He seemed to play with a lack of confidence and was often timid. Hopefully he finds what he's looking for.

Can't see the line, can you Russ?-Clark W. Griswold

"It's just a matter of what I thought was the right fit, something my family agreed on," Smotrycz said. "I don't want to say too much right now in being sensitive to the coaching staff. But it was a decision I had to make to be somewhere I was happy."

Everything about Smot -- his demeanor, his body language -- said he was unhappy. He seemed like a smart and hugely sensitive kid who was overwhelmed by the pressure, the criticism, and his inconsistency. He always seemed so tight. Plus, it couldn't have helped that next year he'd be facing a lot of competition for playing-time. McGary and Robinson -- and maybe Stauskas and Horford -- may well have eaten up his minutes. Probably Smot will be happier at a program with less pressure and more minutes.

all year long didnt seem plugged in to the program..His demeanor to me seemed disinterested. He did not appear to me as a team player..All year long I got the feeling that he was not happy and BOY did that prove to be right. I think he is making a HUGE mistake but whats done is done and If my perception of him was correct which it appears now it was we are probably better off and he is probably better off..Frankly I did not think he was a very hard worker and I never saw him enthusiastic or encouraging to other teammates...I kinda think he may have been a bad apple in the bunch attitude and effort wise..He had his moments to be sure but he was VERY inconsistent...I feel in the long run Michigan will be better off without him. As for the other two I dont blame them one bit they werent going to be regular players...

1. Ball handling: who else besides Trey will we rely on to bring up the ball? Stu is graduating and Brundidge is transferring.

2. Experience: Smot had two solid years under his belt. It's definitely a blow to the program when someone with significant minutes logged leaves (in addition to the Stu/Novak graduations), even when we replace him with a top incoming recruit.

I will always remember Smotrycz for bursting on to the scene against a top ranked Syracuse in a close lose but moral victory and Christian's clutch long two from the free throw line extended at the Breslin Center last year in a win against Sparty.

Finally I can look forward to a season where I dont scream every time Smotty dribbled the ball (i.e final play of ohio game). Anyway, I'm looking forward to Stauskas. Seriously, this is like when people were bummed about morris. IMO, stauskas could have a Burke-esque season at the 2 guard. Burke-Stauskas-Timmy-GRII-MM Get pumped for brighter days ahead.

Smotz had his moments offensively-Few-But Defensively was a huge liability. Terrible on the high screen when showing-Always stood straight up and never moved his feet. Questioned his effort on "D" and hustle. Hurts Depth depending who does or doesn't step up but I believe someone will and will be an upgrade at both ends of court.

So like several others I wish those three luck wherever they end up, but moving forward I'll only talk about guys who play for U of M. A lot of speculation on the breakdown of minutes took place over the past week, and now that throws it off a bit.

As for backup at PG, the hope must be that either Stauskas can handle the ball well enough to take it when Burke needs rest, or that Akunne will step up as he recovers.

I think the 2 and 3 are all set, though as mentioned above Stauskas may get more minutes than originally anticipated due to his ability to handle the ball....well enough.

It's clearly the 4 and 5 that feel this the most. Smotz wasn't really a threat to play minutes at the 5. That should be almost completely divided between Morgan and Horford now, with McGary and Beilfeldt splitting the 4.

It's possible that they go smallish at times with someone like GRIII playing some 4, though I don't anticiate it. That would open up chaces to have Burke, Stauskas, THJ, and GRIII on the floor at the same time with any one of the bigs. Depending on foul trouble or injury concerns we may see that more thn ideal, but at the same time there's enough height there that it could end up being something great to see.

Of course news of an incoming transfer or new recruit would be welcome, but I think it's still a very talented team going into next year.

I would have loved o see some of those guys develop and contribute to bigger things, but if they felt they needed to go than I'll b ok with that.

I thought Smotz was perfect for our offense. Beilein always likes big guys who can shoot. He was a huge liability on defense though, and he was very limited offensively. He needed some toughness and some post moves, and I thought with those additions to his game, he could have been an effective player. I think this move will def hurt our depth, but hell, we played with a 7 guy rotation most of the year anyway, so next year probably won't be much different. Hopefully Hortford will come back strong and our freshmen are as good as advertised. All in all, besides the depth issues, I don't think this will hurt much in the long run.

Brundidge: Akune would likely have gotten much of the back up PG minutes anyways. Assuming Brundidge wasn't in line to have a huge breakout year (which is probably a safe assumption for someone who barely got off the becnh last year) this is not a huge loss.

Smotz: This hurts a bit, more from a depth standpoint than anything. With GR3 and McGary coming in we will still have a much more talented team next year. I honestly believe Smotz would have seen his minutes slowly dwindle over the course of next season anyways. In short, his departure is not that big of a deal.

Big depth issues at PG. The general idea is that Stauskas could fill that role, but there is some questioning about whether or not he can handle the ball at the collegiate level. I have faith that Stauskas can do it with some work during the off-season. Or maybe Timmy should start working with Sr. on his cross-over...

B. Can/Will Morgan play the 4?

Obviously Beilein likes having 4-5 shooters on the court at a time and it works best with his system. None of the remaining bigs (besides McLimans) can really shoot it from deep (can GRIII play the 4?). That's why Smotz was so important, he was that hybrid-type big who could play inside and out. Having 3 guards and 2 bigs on the court is certainly the conventional style of play, but Beilein doesn't play that way.

Well he need to change his system to a regular 2 guards 2 forwards and a center lineup. Trey Robinson needs to stay at the 3. Move morgan to the power forward (4) and place Mcgary at the 5. with burke at the 1 and hardaway at the 2. now you have straukas at the 2/3 coming off the bench with horford spelling the 4 spot and mclimans the 5. WE HAVE TO FIND A POINT GUARD THIS YEAR!!! Hell look for a super senior like Brandon Wood. We need somebody

I don't see how so many people are missing this - it's far from just you - it's the one really surprising thing in many of the comments in this thread.

CB was on a trajectory to never be an effective contributor to a Big Ten team.

Now, if CB put in some kind of *serious* work in the offseason, maybe he had a chance to change that equation.

But what we were looking at right now was a guy who was short for the 2, got consistently ripped and lacked the handle to see any sort of meaningful minutes at the 1, was not in good enough shape, and showed almost no flashes of, well, anything.

I'm not trying to harsh on the kid - one thing he seemed like was a really nice kid.

But I had extremely low hopes for his contributions next year. We lost three, and the Smot thing is a more complicated story, but, as long as Trey stays, the opportunity to bring in an *actual* backup PG or a guy who can legitimately back up the point is HUGE.

smotz was too little to bang in the middle for the big ten so he bailed out. I think he was more of a 3/4 in beilein system he have to play the 5. plus he wanted more than 15 mins which he is not going to get here. it sucks that he left because we were turning the corner. brundridge would have been on the bench his whole time here. hope to see him go to U of D. Lets get Trey Ziegler to play with Trey Burke to play with Trey Robinson.

To me, this is just a product of the "Kentucky phenomenon" in which guys believe they all should get immediate playing time and make the NBA after one or two seasons. They need to grow up. You don't bail on your team because you weren't performing well enough to earn time. It's times lke these that make me appreciate level-headed leaders like Douglass and Novak.

My gosh, Smotz was only a sophomore. He could have been very, very good his senior year. I know you could care less about MSU, but look at Austin Thornton. Half the MSU fans (in all their caveman brillance) were ready to throw this guy off the team last year. This year, if not for Thornton, we're done and watching at home. Guys who are decent in the 2 year usually are pretty awesome in the their 4th/5th senior season.

Smotz was a good guy, and I'm sorry he's leaving the league.

Edit: Sorry, this was not directed at the post above--just a comment in general.

No way Ziegler comes. Because of the firing of his dad, he does not have to sit a year if he transfers, so I don't see him taking a back seat THJ. He will want to start. My buddy cuts Trey's hair and has been trying to nudge him our way, but I think with Austin Rivers probably going to NBA, Trey will end up there.